SAO PAULO, Brazil — A 21-year-old woman who died after two rope-jumping instructors pushed her from a bridge before securing her safety gear was buried Sunday in Brazil’s Sao Paulo state.
Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas was taking part in a rope jump Saturday at Ponte do Esqueleto, an abandoned bridge in the city of Limeira that draws extreme sports enthusiasts. According to reports, the aspiring physical education teacher had requested an “airplane-style” jump, in which two instructors lifted her onto their shoulders while she stretched out her arms.
Video circulating online appears to show two helmeted instructors sending Rodrigues de Freitas over the edge of the 40-meter (130-foot) drop without fastening her to any safety line. In the footage, a bystander can be heard shouting for the instructors to attach the cord, while the men themselves appear to be wearing harnesses connected to a safety rope.
Rope jumping differs from bungee jumping in both equipment and movement. While bungee jumping relies on elastic cords that create a vertical rebound, rope jumping uses low-stretch climbing ropes designed to turn the fall into a swinging, pendulum-like motion.
Brazilian police have arrested three men linked to the company that organized the jump. Authorities have also opened an investigation that could result in murder charges.
The footage of Rodrigues de Freitas’ fatal fall has spread widely across social media, where many users have called the incident a shocking example of negligence.
